by Love Train
Wow, it's been too long since I posted one of these! Last Sunday I took my father (yes, I took him, he didn't take me i.e. I bought the tickets) to the Redskins game. Metro is the only good way to get there, since driving to the game blows, so we took the Metro. That being said, the Metro to the game is no walk in the park either.
We got on the Metro at our home stop Grosvenor-Strathmore (after buying delicious turkey sandwiches from Celebrity Deli to eat in front of the stadium), and we took it to Morgan Boulevard. We waited about 5 minutes (not too bad) for our train. It was annoying to wait for because the PIMS wasn't working (heh, aren't we spoiled here in DC!). It finally came and it was not at all crowded. I don't need to say that it was a six-car train because that is the official standard now on all five lines. What is worth mentioning is that our train was a train mixed with Rohrs and CAFs. The first two and last two cars were Rohrs, while the middle two were CAFs. We were in Rohr #1014, the second car from the front. This ride was uneventful, though we got pretty good speed at times. I admit that I don't remember now the destination of the train, whether it was Glenmont or New York Avenue (track work caused every other train to terminate there).
At Metro Center we transfered to the Blue Line. Everybody tried to squeeze into a jam-packed Rohr that was sitting at the platform bound for Largo. What I knew that they didn't know was that Blue Line headways were cut in half for the Redskins game, so it was a short wait for the next one. As it turned out, the next Blue Line train to Largo arrived just moments after the first one, and it was completely empty! We had a seat the entire ride. It was a Breda Rehab train, and we were in rehabilitated Breda #3040, the front car. The only eventful thing worth noting was that on the viaduct between Stadium-Armory and Benning Road we had to switch from the main track to the siding in the middle and then back to the main track (where layups are often stored). While we were on this siding we literally crawled. We were going maybe 2 mph, no exaggeration. Once we were finished with that we were well on our way again.
The game was great, as the Skins beat the Lions 34-3! :D However, FedEx Field SUCKS! I would love to explain why but I'm on a time budget right now so I'll postpone that rant to a later date. The walk from the Metro to the Stadium was a pain in the butt, too.
Coming back, a train was waiting at the platform and we had no trouble going through the turnstyles and boarding. We did have to go to the rear of the train to be able to fit, though. This train was a CAF train, and we were in the last car, CAF #5181. The ride back to Metro Center was uneventful.
Our Red Line train to Shady Grove came right away, and it was moderately crowded. It was an original Breda train mixed with 3000 and 4000 series cars. The first two cars were 3000 series and the last four were 4000 series. We were in the second to last car, original Breda #4046. This ride was also uneventful.
All in all, a great trip.
P.S. At Potomac Avenue, I could have SWORN that I saw an original Breda coupled to a rehabilitated one on an Orange Line train. Maybe my eyes were just playing tricks on me. I didn't get the car numbers.
We got on the Metro at our home stop Grosvenor-Strathmore (after buying delicious turkey sandwiches from Celebrity Deli to eat in front of the stadium), and we took it to Morgan Boulevard. We waited about 5 minutes (not too bad) for our train. It was annoying to wait for because the PIMS wasn't working (heh, aren't we spoiled here in DC!). It finally came and it was not at all crowded. I don't need to say that it was a six-car train because that is the official standard now on all five lines. What is worth mentioning is that our train was a train mixed with Rohrs and CAFs. The first two and last two cars were Rohrs, while the middle two were CAFs. We were in Rohr #1014, the second car from the front. This ride was uneventful, though we got pretty good speed at times. I admit that I don't remember now the destination of the train, whether it was Glenmont or New York Avenue (track work caused every other train to terminate there).
At Metro Center we transfered to the Blue Line. Everybody tried to squeeze into a jam-packed Rohr that was sitting at the platform bound for Largo. What I knew that they didn't know was that Blue Line headways were cut in half for the Redskins game, so it was a short wait for the next one. As it turned out, the next Blue Line train to Largo arrived just moments after the first one, and it was completely empty! We had a seat the entire ride. It was a Breda Rehab train, and we were in rehabilitated Breda #3040, the front car. The only eventful thing worth noting was that on the viaduct between Stadium-Armory and Benning Road we had to switch from the main track to the siding in the middle and then back to the main track (where layups are often stored). While we were on this siding we literally crawled. We were going maybe 2 mph, no exaggeration. Once we were finished with that we were well on our way again.
The game was great, as the Skins beat the Lions 34-3! :D However, FedEx Field SUCKS! I would love to explain why but I'm on a time budget right now so I'll postpone that rant to a later date. The walk from the Metro to the Stadium was a pain in the butt, too.
Coming back, a train was waiting at the platform and we had no trouble going through the turnstyles and boarding. We did have to go to the rear of the train to be able to fit, though. This train was a CAF train, and we were in the last car, CAF #5181. The ride back to Metro Center was uneventful.
Our Red Line train to Shady Grove came right away, and it was moderately crowded. It was an original Breda train mixed with 3000 and 4000 series cars. The first two cars were 3000 series and the last four were 4000 series. We were in the second to last car, original Breda #4046. This ride was also uneventful.
All in all, a great trip.
P.S. At Potomac Avenue, I could have SWORN that I saw an original Breda coupled to a rehabilitated one on an Orange Line train. Maybe my eyes were just playing tricks on me. I didn't get the car numbers.
